Ask Something the Ring did not intend

[Dash Pavan]

JEDI TEMPLE, TYTHON

4.00pm local time​

Dash leant back on the bench, scrolling back and forth through the datapad in the fading sun.

He'd stopped off at the Tython temple in the hope of making some training progress, but it was not quite working out. There were not many Masters around and most of the trained Jedi at the temple were busy. Dash had tried the library, but manuals were, well, boring.

The Padawan waved away a fly that was trying hard to settle on his nose. He had come outside for a change of scenery but it was doing no good.

Tython was a bit of a disappointment. His mind was already wandering to what they might be serving in the refectory tonight. Hopefully they at least did good meatballs.

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Damn this blasted ring and the all of the wasted time and effort it sapped from Faen Akatosh. While the Seer had been scourging the galaxy for more answers pertaining to the Dark Side relic, Yavin had been lost. Nothing made Faen feel worse than not participating in the simple duty of serving his fellow Jedi instead of serving himself. However, his research was not in vain. He learned of an old Sith cult that used to go by the Lords of Ren. They served a nameless Sith Lord that went by the 'Overlord' or something like that, but he was responsible for founding the cult and the strange artifacts that were created within it.

But, there was nothing pertaining the ring that sat comfortably in Faen's robe pocket. Maybe there were records held on Tython or some other old temple that could explain a bit more about the ring and what purpose it served. All Faen knew was that it was powerful and that he alone deserved to oversee it's use and discovery.

Along his venture to the libraries, the Seer came across a Padawan sitting by himself on a bench. Faen did nothing more than nod his head to the Padawan and decided to disregard the boy. Besides, why burden someone so new in the Order with a discovery like Knight Akatosh's? Unbeknownst to the Seer, however, the ring that had once sat comfortably in his pocket fell out as he passed the Padawan by.

"Alone...at last..." Faen sighed once he was in the empty library and reached inside his robes to grab his ring. "Hm... No, no!" Hissed the Seer as he began frantically searching the floor for his lost artifact. "Not good... Not good... Damn it!"

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Paragraph three was interrupted by a particularly pretty butterfly flapping past Dash's face. He watched it go before sighing and switching off the datapad. He was just getting nowhere today. He decided to call it quits, packing up and heading back towards the temple. Maybe the evening meal or a workout would get his brain going again.

Something glinted at him on the ground. "Huh?" He stopped and bent down to pick it up - it was a ring, solid and shiny, with a small indent. Dash wondered how it had got there and who it belonged to.

He glanced around, but the few students around were a fair distance away. He tried to remember who had walked by - he felt like a few had - but he'd not paid any mind.

He looked at the ring again. It almost seemed more shiny than it was a minute ago. But that was just silly.

Dash pocketed it and headed on inside. He was going to mention the ring to the doorkeeper but he ended up just walking on, into the refectory. He could report it later.

He set his satchel down, grabbed some food and took a seat at the end of one of the long tables, trying to forget the day. He had to do better at his lessons tomorrow, he certainly couldn't do any worse.

There were no meatballs sadly, but there was soup. The Padawan stirred his bowl with one hand and found himself fiddling with the little ring in his pocket with the other. Whoever had dropped it had been a bit careless really.

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

For the love... Faen was going to lose his shit in a Jedi temple over a simple ring- well, it wasn't simple. It was simply evil and needed to be destroyed. Even the thought of ridding the ring from the galaxy gave the Seer a strange feeling in his gut that wanted to buy more time to discover more about the ring first. It was disgusting how deeply this Dark Side artifact had infected him. Faen Akatosh was not the same man he was a few months ago because of it.

After retracing his steps, Faen found himself by a bench that used to hold a Padawan boy. But, the boy was now gone. However, Faen had a few tricks up his sleeve that he was eager to use, namely Psychometry, and find his ring quickly. So, he placed a hand on the bench and began pooling his concentration into the object's recent events. He saw the Padawan... something grabbed his attention... he stooped down and grabbed- Found you. Faen grumbled.

Now all he had to do was find the boy in question. The smell of food coming from the refectory grabbed the Seer's attention first. So, he'd start there. Faen stood from a corner in the cafeteria, overlooking the several hungry Jedi until his eyes stuck on Dash. How foolish was the Seer to lose track of such a relic? Embarrassment shot through the Knight like lightning, almost making him sick to his stomach.

"Um, hello there." Faen tried greeting the Padawan with a smile, but an action so simple seemed to be harder than expected. He instead looked very pained and tired, as if he had been troubled by something for a long time. "I am Jedi Seer Faen Akatosh. Have you come into contact with something... well, something small and probably unnoticeable? You're not in trouble, I've just lost track of it and I've been needing to get it back is all."

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The young Jedi was staring blankly into his soup when the Knight approached, so lost in thought that Faen's words made him jump.

"Oh hi!" Dash said in surprise, free hand slipping back out of his pocket instinctively. "Dash Pavan, Padawan" he smiled at the tall, dark Jedi, a mixture of nerves and awkwardness. He'd been looking for a mentor all day and now a potential one appeared when he was least prepared.

Dash stiffened in spite of himself when the other Jedi asked about finding anything small or unnoticeable. How could he know?

"Me? Well I-" he felt the ring in his pocket like it was a shotput. "No" he said suddenly "not seen anything like that". He couldn't explain why he lied, it was more an impulse than a decision. "Maybe you should ask around?".

He felt quite strongly that he didn't just want to hand the ring over to this Faen. Not yet. Instead, he found himself reaching for his satchel and making to leave.

"It was nice meeting you brother, but I must get back to my studies".

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Damn it... Faen sighed with disdain after the Padawan left. Great suspicion began to creep into the Seer's mind as he began bartering with himself over whether or not he was sure the boy had it. Before he made a scene of himself, he left outside back to the bench and took a seat, pondering about what he saw.

There was no doubt in his mind that the Padawan had seen the ring- maybe even took it. But what if the boy gave it to someone else? What if they discovered the darkened power that Faen had been trying so hard to vanquish?? It would be on Faen's hands if any of the Padawan's became afflicted with the torturous visages that had been bequeathed to him. The Ring was too important to lose and Faen needed a better way to keep track of it. Usually, the Ring would...whisper? Well, it spoke to Faen and it wanted to be worn on the finger like a proper ring.

What if it began whispering to whoever had it now? No... That wouldn't be great. The Seer needed that Ring back before someone... Before someone what? Used it instead of him? The thought only made Faen angry, which frightened him. This artifact was becoming an obsession the more he held onto it- More of a reason to take it back...

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash actually got away. He could hardly believe it. Both that he had got away, and that he had even tried to. Faen Akatosh was a Jedi Knight and Dash had just lied to his face. What was he playing at?!

He hurried away from the refectory, turning and heading down the corridor, going nowhere in particular. He had plenty of things to do, but felt a strange urge to just be on his own and look at it. Look at the ring.

He turned another corner and found himself in a breakout area, slowing to a stop next to a glass cabinet of artifacts and model planets. He slipped a hand in his pocket, pulling out the ring and cupping it in his hand. It looked so shiny, so precious. Maybe he should try it on.

Dash slipped the gold ring onto his finger.

He felt a stab of pain, crying out as a wave of energy seemed to race up his arm. The Padawan stumbled, reaching out for the cabinet to steady himself. There was a snap, followed by a crack as fractals of frost lanced from his hand across the glass., racing across the panels. Dash gasped and jumped back, but not before the frost became ice, jagged white tendrils spreading all over the cabinet.

He pulled off the ring and threw it in fear, watching it bounce across the floor.

What had it made him do?!

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Just as Faen's anxiety peaked, the Ring called out to him in a chilling whisper, dreading it's separation from it's master. In that moment, Faen knew who had it, where they were, and what they were doing. That damned boy had been lying the whole time! There was going to be... Going to be what? Hell to pay? What was the Seer thinking? Did he actually consider beating the shit out of some kid purely because they held what rightfully belonged to him? This Ring was no joke- it needed to be destroyed before it destroyed Faen.

It didn't take long for Faen to reach the lonely break out area where the Padawan was lying on the ground away from the Ring, which was actually the first thing Faen locked onto. In fact, he almost completely disregarded the boy until the Ring was back on his finger, where it belonged. Then, and only then, would gaze down at the Padawan with a look mixed with disdain and contempt before offering a hand.

"You... You are an idiot." Then Faen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm and idiot- We're both idiots, messing with things we don't understand..." What was Faen going to do now? "I'll need your name, Padawan, before we begin."

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The young Jedi rubbed his hand worriedly. There was no mark on his skin, no sign the ring or the Force surge it had caused had done him any harm.

But it had. The ice and frost crisscrossing the cabinet made Dash feel sick to his core. The last time he had an outburst like that, he had nearly killed a man. He thought he had left it behind, but it had happened again. He wasn't safe to be around.

He was still on the floor, panting and clutching his hand when Faen arrived. The tall Jedi swept around the corner and surveyed the scene with dark eyes. He retrieved his ring from where it lay and Dash shouted a word of warning when he went to put it on. But nothing happened to Faen. If anything he seemed pleased to be reunited with it and moments later towered over the Padawan.

"I...I know" was all Dash managed, unable to argue. He had been an idiot. It seemed the ring was really quite dangerous and he'd thought he could mess with it. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't realise. I don't know why I-" he trailed off, finding it hard to remember what he had been thinking.

"It's Dash" he answered, taking the Knight's hand and getting up "Dash Pavan". He'd met Faen less than an hour ago in the refectory, but then the older Jedi probably dealt with dozens of people a day. Dash felt even smaller as he waited to learn his fate.

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Faen didn't feel great about any of this- especially the fact that it was the Seer who had caused all of this distress himself. There was something in the Padawan's that gave Faen the impression that this wasn't the first time Dash had lost himself to the whims of the Force. Maybe if Faen had just worn the Ring on his finger as it had...as it had asked him to. Then none of this would've happened. But, it had and now Faen needed to deal with it.

"Look, you aren't in trouble," The Seer reminded Dash. "I am a little disappointed that you would lie to me... But I understand the artifact that was in your possession. It has a knack for swaying the way we think, doesn't it?" Faen wanted to ease the Padawan's conscious, for it would make the rest of this conversation a little easier. "Did you see anything, Dash? Did it speak to you in whispers? Taunting you with the Darkness? Did anyone see you with it?" Faen needed to know how fast the Ring might have acted with the Padawan. He needed to be sure that Dash got any and all the help he needed- Faen was a Seer after all.

"Do you have a master, Padawan Pavan?" And more importantly, did Dash trust them if he had one? "If you have any questions, tell me now."

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The tall Jedi seemed like he wasn't going to scald Dash and something resembling a pained expression flashed across his face. Surely this was no one's fault but Dash's?

"I didn't mean to lie" the young Jedi said hurriedly "the words were out of my mouth before I realised I'd said them". It sounded stupid, but he felt like he hadn't been well the last few hours. He already felt clearer without the ring in his hand.

"I, I didn't hear any whispers...." Dash said, trying to answer honestly "and I don't think anyone saw me with it. But I suppose I did feel something from it". He looked Faen up and down, wondering if it was - if it had - had any effect on the Jedi Knight. "It was like a pull" he said, trying to explain "just a pull to look at it, wear it, look after it..." he trailed off, almost finding it hard to remember the sensation now.

A glance at the ice on the cabinet brought him back. "But when I put it on, it was like my, my walls inside broke. It reached right inside me and pulled out...." he struggled for the words "pulled out, well yes - the darkness". Dash flexed his fingers, trying to forget the sensation of the frost rippling from his palm.

"I do have a master yes" he replied, feeling steadied a bit by the thought of her "Hera Albion, perhaps you know her?" She would not be best pleased if she knew what he'd been up to today.

@Charles

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

"Hera Albion, perhaps you know her?"

"My ears are burning! Is someone speaking about me?"

Hera strode through the single entrance to the breakout area, a wide smile characteristically spread across her face. However, the Justicar was significantly more serious in her tone than her face would suggest. As her Padawan, Dash would surely be able to pick up on the abnormality almost immediately. To this other Knight, perhaps he would think that was simply how Hera spoke, or perhaps he would sense something amiss. Either way, Hera had joined the conversation now.

How long had she been standing outside the room? How long had she been listening in on their conversation from a few meters away, slinking behind a door? How much had she sensed when her Padawan donned the dark artifact? Hera gave no indication to answer these questions. However, Hera's mind rolled and toiled over the revelations she had just been given. She stood outside long enough. She had heard enough. She sensed enough.

There was something sinister in this room. Her uncovered eyes looked to the icey cabinet, the heat stolen from it, before looking to Dash's hand, the heat seemingly stolen there as well. She could see perfectly well in here, the heat signatures of the two beings, and she would have her answers. Standing in the doorway, almost looming, the armored knight leaned against the frame of the only exit and asked in a coldness Dash had never before heard from her, "Tell me more, Dash, of this darkness. Tell me exactly of the cause, if you would be so kind."

@Alhon

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Faen looked over his shoulder to see the very woman Dash had named. Hera was not a Jedi Faen was familiar with, but he was aware that she was a Justicar. The Padawan couldn't have asked for a better master to teach him the ropes. Justicars were among some of the most respected Jedi in Faen's eyes, and if anyone could help Dash, it was Hera.

"Knight Albion, I presume." Faen bowed his head respectfully before turning back to Dash. "Do not be ashamed for what happened, Padawan Pavan. We all have demons we must battle. No one is completely enveloped in the Light, and if someone tells you so, they're either lying or too foolish to tell the difference." The Ring hummed to Faen as he spoke of Darkness and Light. It was hungry, and it wanted to be fed. The Seer shrugged the taunting away for now, however.

"But, these battles are always harder by our lonesome."

Hypocrite. You fight yourself- You fear yourself. Leave it all behind. Succumb to your Salvation.

Faen's expression darkened once again as the familiar voice rang through his head. However, the Seer wasn't fighting by himself. He had Quin and Arctus to back him up, and though this battle was proving to be difficult, Faen was determined to see this Ring destroyed. Or... He hoped so. Sometimes, all he could think about was keeping the Ring to himself. There was always the argument of keeping it safe from everyone else, but deep down inside, Faen Akatosh was obsessed with it. If anyone thought he would part with the golden ring, they were mad.

"Um, if you two could excuse me, I have matters to attend to. If any of you need my assistance, just let me know."

@Alhon @Black Noise

 

[Dash Pavan]

It was as if speaking her name made her appear. No sooner had Dash mentioned Hera to Faen, than she strode into the room. He hadn't been apprenticed to her long, but he could tell immediately she was concerned. Oh no, how much had she seen?

"Thanks..." Dash replied awkwardly, glad that Faen at least wasn't going to berate him for losing his head a bit. He glanced again at the ring on the Jedi's finger; it had definitely done something to him while he'd had it, making certain things fuzzy and swaying his judgement. He was better off without it for sure.

But Hera had seen what else it had done and she was looking over the cracked glass cabinet covered in frost. He could only imagine what she was thinking. Then she turned and asked how it had happened, where the darkness had come from. Dash was dreading a question like that and really didn't want to answer. He wasn't sure it was something he was ready to share with her yet.

"The ring" Dash said, pointing to the glinting circle on Faen's finger "I erm, ended up with it temporarily and it made me go funny when I put it on. It froze that cabinet there, so I through it off double quick. I shouldn't have messed with it".

He left out that he had frozen things before, including accidentally. It was a little power he seemed to have, but one he feared and tried to bury. The ring had set it free, but it came from inside him.

The two Jedi would surely think it dangerous; they must never know.

@Charles @Black Noise

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

'There it is.' Hera thought, the impending darkness spreading out into the room once more. The artifact was communicating, humming, and vibrating through the Force with someone else in this room. Truly, Hera had assumed the best of her Padawan in this situation, and his response to her proved that her faith in him was well founded. In a few succinct sentences, Dash pointed out the artifact to her, named it exactly, and apologized for his actions.

The Knight, on the other hand, was not so open with her. He spoke in broad terms of darkness and fighting battles alone. Then, shortly after the spike in Dark Side energy, Faen attempted to excuse himself. Hera would have none of that. Still standing in the doorway, still blocking the only exit, Hera rested a hand on her lightsaber hilt and spoke forcefully.

"Jedi Knight, it would be best, as you say, to not fight these battles all by our lonesome. I can sense the ring my padawan speaks of on you, clear as day. I will not assume the worst of you, but in the name of the power vested in me as a Justicar I must demand that you turn over the dark artifact to me at once. This is not a request."

Hera's eyes watched every movement of Faen closely as she spoke, making sure that he did not begin to make any sudden or combative moves. Truly, she prayed to all gods that lived, and all that did not, that Faen would calmly pass the Ring on to her so that Hera could see it destroyed. She didn't want to fight him, nor did she want to arrest the Seer either. Perhaps this was all some great misunderstanding, and after examining the dark artifact it would be clear that it was some weak, small thing not even worth worrying about...

She prayed that would be the case.

@Charles @Alhon

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Oh damnit, if that Padawan held his tongue... Now Faen had to deal with the very thing he feared most; more people discovering the Ring. More people for it to curse and torment. This was Faen's burden and he promised to see it destroyed- this Justicar had no idea what she was messing with. No idea who she was messing with. Though his emotions were rising from irritation to outright loathing, he kept them quiet in his mind as to not share these feelings through the Force.

"No." Faen stated flatly, raising an eyebrow. "I am to bring this artifact before the council. No one else is even supposed to know about it." Faen did his best to remain calm, but he still came across as tired and fatigued. The Ring seemed to grow heavier every day he resisted it's taunts and rebukes. "So, if you'll excuse me, I need to see the council. This business is not yours to trifle with, Justicar or not. You and your Padawan need to forget about the ring. I wouldn't dare burden anyone in this Order with it."

You have no strength left. Succumb to Salvation and draw upon the Shadow- Faen clenched both fists, the one wearing the Ring a little harder than the other. "I'll be taking my leave." Faen then moved for the exit, prepared for any confrontation that might soon follow. The Seer was an EX-Shadow- trained by a retired assassin for a father, master of Vaapad, and just as deadly with a blaster as he was with his fists. Yet... Faen had no intention to fight. Not with the Ring whispering to him. Not until he saw it destroyed.

@Alhon @Black Noise

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

"No." Hera tensed, listening closely as Faen spoke. His words were not that of someone who wanted to do the right thing, they sounded like the words of one who wanted to deceive. They were the words of a murderer that would plead with his jailor, saying 'I'll do the right thing, just let me out.' The moment Faen stepped towards the exit, Hera ignited her lightsaber and swung.

Staying in the close confine of the doorframe, she thrust forward with the front end of her blade, aiming to impale Faen through the chest. This charade had gone on long enough. There would be no more speaking, only the great humming song of blades until one of them yielded. Hera didn't want to kill Faen.

But she would protect her Padawan.

@Charles

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Never had Faen intended for this to happen- that damned Padawan was the source of all this madness. If only Faen had kept better track of it, he wouldn't be fighting with a fellow Knight over something so stupid. What example was she setting for her apprentice? Attacking an unarmed man because he refused to hand over a piece of jewelry? Or was that the ring talking...

Faen side stepped out of the way of the humming orange blade and used the Force to blast Hera to the side, not hard enough to knock her over, but to keep some distance between the two. The Seer was utterly infuriated- he had posed no threat to anyone.

"Padawan Pavan, I recommend talking to someone else about your dabbles in the Dark Side. This wasn't your first time, no?" Faen sensed it during the boy's panic, and his own master couldn't. Maybe that was the difference between Justicars and Seers. One opted to kill any who opposed their will and the other offered to help those in distress. So, reluctantly, he pulled the Ring from off his finger and tossed it to Hera. In the past, he thought that by separating himself from the Ring that it would give him peace, but he was wrong. It howled in his dreams, longing to be back in it's Master's hands. Even now, Faen began to feel dizzy.

"If you are so inclined to neglect your own Padawan's struggles with the Darkness, then by all means, carry around the totem that sparked that struggle again." Faen folded his arms and scowled. "But, you are going to come with me to the council first. Now. And I suggest you learn to keep that blade under control. It would be a shame if you've killed more Jedi than Sith in your lifetime." He would tap a button on his comlink, sending a message to alert Quin Leonkri that it was time. Faen also preferred him heavily over the Arkanian Knight that attempted to take his life.

@Black Noise @Alhon @Sicadorito

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

As quickly as the blade had been ignited, it deactivated. Faen had thrown the Force at her and it pushed them apart, though the Knight did not even seem to register the hit outside of her shifted feet. Her hand snapped up to catch the artifact as it was tossed in her direction. The Knight was instantly blasted with the energies of the Dark Side emanating from the object, feeding on deep anger repressed down in the Justicar's body.

It tried to speak to her, to demand to be returned to its master, or for Hera to strike him down. But the moment it attempted to enter her mind, she began to drown its voice out with the techniques she knew about, techniques she had been trained in. Repeating and repeating, her mind became filled with the sole action Hera took after catching the ring. 'Firmly, firmly, firmly, firmly...' And firmly she did grip that infernal object, her knuckles turning white from the pressure with which she gripped the ring.

"Faen," She spoke, her mind still echoing, "Thank you, I will signal- the council... To meet us. Please, come. With me." It was hard to speak, clearly, as Hera was unused to talking while practicing her technique, 'Firmly, firmly, firmly, firmly...' she thought. As she replaced her lightsaber, she tapped her comlink. Stepping out of the room, assuming Faen to follow her, she began to slowly call for a council member to meet with her.

@Charles @Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash had barely been able to believe his eyes when Hera and Faen faced off over the ring. He had seen the sabers flash, felt the force of Faen's concussive blast wash over him. All he had been able to do was press himself back against the wall and hope it would soon be over.

Surprisingly, it was. Faen surrendered the ring to Hera without a real fight, saying his intentions were good. Maybe they were. Maybe Dash had caused all this by picking up and keeping something that didn't belong to him.

But the cat was out of the bag now and his master had got the bit between her teeth. She seemed to have decided Faen had something to answer for, fortunately overlooking what Dash had done to the cabinet. He followed them as they made their way out of the temple, Faen following Hera but as reserved as ever. Who knew where this might lead or what he, and the ring, had started.

/ END